“A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION” Krishna Consciousness and the Judeo-Christian Tradition
A Guide to Interfaith Discussion

Srila Prabhupada

"At the present moment human society teaches one to love his country or familyor his personal self, but there is no information about where to repose thisloving propensity so that everyone becomes happy. That missing point is God. If we learn to love God, then it is very easy to immediatelyand simultaneously love every living being."

---The Nectar of Devotion

In the Srimad Bhagavatam, one of the main scriptures in
the Vaishnava canon, Lord Krishna tells His disciple Uddhava that the spiritual
master is "one with Me" (compare John 10:30, 17:21), is to be revered as though
he were an incarnation of God, and must never be mistaken for an ordinary man,
because "he fully embodies all the qualities of God." (Compare Colossians 2:9)

Scripture teaches that one is saved and freed from all sins
when he or she becomes the disciple of a divine master. The guru, or
spiritual master, willingly suffers for the sins of his disciples. In his
commentary on the Srimad Bhagavatam (9:9:5), Srila Prabhupada explains:
"...the spiritual master, after accepting a disciple, must take charge of that
disciple’s past sinful activities and...suffer—if not fully, then partially—for
the sinful acts of the disciple."

In a letter to his disciples Satsvarupa and Uddhava dated July
27, 1970, Srila Prabhupada wrote, "the spiritual master...has got the
responsibility of absorbing the sinful reaction of his disciple’s life. This is
a great responsibility of the spiritual master...To accept disciples means to
take up the responsibility of absorbing the sinful reaction of life of the
disciple." Srila Prabhupada similarly wrote to another disciple, "Regarding your
question about sufferings of master, you can simply ponder over Lord Christ’s
crucification." (Letter to Rebatinandan dasa, 12/31/72)

The guru is considered sinless, because he is obedient
to the will of God through scripture; following the instructions of his own
spiritual master. Thus, there is a living chain of saints and spiritual teachers
who take on disciples and guide them towards maturity in their relationship with
God. Brother Aelred (Chaitanya dasa), a Catholic monk and Krishna disciple in
Australia, compares the disciplic succession in Krishna Consciousness to the
Apostolic succession in Catholic Christianity.

Through a guru, one receives God’s directions on a
deeper, more personal level than one receives through scripture itself.
Moreover, it is taught in scripture that the only way to know God personally and
intimately is through those souls whose relationship with Him is already
established. No one comes to God except through a spiritual master. (Compare
John 14:6)

From 1966 to 1977, Srila Prabhupada established more than 100
spiritual centers, temples, rural communities, schools, publishing firms and
institutes. He circled the globe 14 times on lecture tours on six continents,
and still found time to write prolifically. Srila Prabhupada wrote more than 70
books, constituting a comprehensive library of Vedic philosophy, religion,
literature, and culture.

"Srila Prabhupada’s works reveal profound scholarship...His
translations of the verses are exceptionally lucid and reveal the real spirit of
the original..." wrote Dr. Ranjan Borra of the United States Library of
Congress. "His books are a veritable encyclopedia of Indian philosophy,
religion, and culture." The Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year,
1976, reported: "In the period from October 1968 to November 1975, His Divine
Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami astonished academic and literary communities
worldwide by writing and publishing 52 books on the ancient Vedic culture."

Complete sets of Srila Prabhupada’s books have been purchased
by the libraries and professors of most major universities around the world,
including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, and the Sorbonne. Srila
Prabhupada has some ten thousand disciples worldwide and a congregational
following in the millions.

"Srila Prabhupada was not just another oriental scholar,
guru, mystic yoga teacher, or meditation instructor," insists Mukunda
Goswami, one of his first American disciples. "He was the embodiment of a whole
culture, and he implanted that culture in the West. To me and many others, he
was first and foremost someone who truly cared, who completely sacrificed his
own comfort to work for the good of others. He taught spiritual science,
philosophy, common sense, the arts, languages, the Vedic way of life—hygiene,
nutrition, medicine, etiquette, family living, farming, social organization,
schooling, economics—and many more things to many people. To me he was a master,
a father, and my dearmost friend."

Dr. Larry Shinn explains:

"The notion of a guru is a very Asian concept...
However, the notion that one can achieve knowledge or experience of the divine
through another human being is an age-old notion...(Christians) assert that they
can come to know God’s will by listening to the words of Jesus and by observing
Jesus in action and by observing his life. So he serves as a mediator between a
divine...and human beings."

According to Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins, author of The Hindu
Religious Tradition:

"He was a genuine holy person with enormous integrity and
compassion, and he had a powerful impact on those who met him...He never claimed
authority and respect for himself; what he said and did was always in the name
of Krishna...A remarkable man, and a remarkable achievement."

"I shall be forever grateful for the opportunity to have met
with this great spiritual leader, and the personal inspiration that he provided
for me..." said Michigan state representative Jackie Vaughn III. "The movement
which he brought to this country will continue for generations, and there can be
no more fitting tribute to this great leader and teacher. We can all find
comfort in knowing that he lived a life amongst us filled with hope and that his
spirit will live always."

Srila Prabhupada taught nonviolence towards animals as well as
human beings. In the course of his lectures, essays and commentary on scripture,
he expressed moral opposition to sport hunting and experimentation on animals.
In his writings, lectures and conversations, he analyzed why monarchies fell,
and why secular democracies will eventually fail. He attacked Marxism, Darwin,
Freud, and the space program.

Srila Prabhupada emphasized living simply and close to nature,
like the Amish, teaching that young girls should be taught "traditional values"
like cooking, sewing, and subservience to their husbands and would be married no
later than age 16. He similarly taught that young men should be taught to work
the land and remain celibate until age 24, when permitted to marry.

Srila Prabhupada established two orders of monks—bramachari
and sannyassi, and (like Jesus) taught the renunciation of material
possessions and family ties. He denounced drug and alcohol use, caffeine,
tobacco, pornography, miniskirts, fornication, cinemas, contraception ("We
regard the rhythm method as a form of cheating," says Ravindra Svarupa dasa),
unmarried couples living together, divorce, and, of course, abortion.

Srila Prabhupada called homosexuality "most unnatural," and
agreed with a Jehovah’s Witnesses’ publication, The Watchtower, which
criticized a liberal clergyman for performing a same-sex marriage. Yet Srila
Prabhupada also accepted homosexuals as his disciples, as long as they observed
the same vows as everyone else. Beginning in 1963, Allen Ginsberg, a homosexual,
beatnik poet, began spreading the chanting of "Hare Krishna" across North
America. During the late 1960s, Srila Prabhupada welcomed Ginsberg as an honored
guest, and even encouraged him to join the Krishna Consciousness movement.

However, Srila Prabhupada scoffed at the religious leaders and
politicians who talk about "universal brotherhood," yet exclude animals from
moral concern. He taught that nonviolence is the first principle of spiritual
life (Letter to Bhakta dasa, August 3, 1973) and that the saints and
mystics see all living entities with equal vision. We are all equal in God’s
eyes—whether one is incarcerated inside the body of a bird, fish, reptile,
mammal, demigod, poet, merchant, insect, etc...He taught that social ills such
as racism, sexism, caste-ism, nationalism, speciesism, etc...arise because
eternal souls falsely identify with their temporary bodies—on the spiritual
platform, we are all equal. (Compare Colossians 3:11 and Galatians 3:28)

Srila Prabhupada responded to the Declaration of Independence
by saying animals also have the right to life; animals as well as humans are
protected in an enlightened civilization. Srila Prabhupada taught that our
present civilization cannot even be considered human, because of the practice of
slaughtering animals for food and sport. He equated eating meat with
cannibalizing small children, and candidly told a Catholic priest in London in
1973 that, "Animal-killers cannot understand God. I have seen this. It is a
fact."

Srila Prabhupada taught that spiritual life and devotion to a
personal God liberate one’s spirit from the bondage of the flesh. On the other
hand, "...one who has not heard the message of Krishna, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead—even for a moment—he’s an animal. The general mass of people, unless
they are trained systematically for a higher standard of life in spiritual
values are no better than animals. They are on the level of dogs, hogs, camels,
and asses."

In an interview with India’s Bhavan’s Journal in August
1976, Srila Prabhupada commented on the "widespread deterioration of moral
values" as follows: "...religion is on the wane...when there is no religion, it
is simply animal life...So when the human beings become uninterested in
religious things, then they are animals...In human society either you become
Christian Muhammadan, Hindu, or Buddhist, it doesn’t matter. There must be some
system of religion. Human society without religion is animal society...because
religion is declining, the human beings are becoming more and more like
animals."

The Srimad Bhagavatam says that one who considers the
body to be the self is no better than a cow or an ass. Srila Prabhupada called
Hindus who become Westernized "new crows." He said, "Crows eat stool, but new
crows eat more stool." (Compare this to the teaching found in the New Testament,
where St. Peter likens sinners to irrational brute beasts; II Peter 2:12.) When
Srila Prabhupada made candid statements like these, he spoke truthfully. During
the 1960s and 1970s, he repeatedly warned young people that if they weren’t
careful, they could be reborn as dogs.

A similar warning can be found in the Upanishads:

"Those who are of pleasant conduct here—the prospect is, indeed, thatthey will enter a pleasant womb, either the womb of a Brahmin, orthe womb of a Kshatriya, or thewomb of a Vaisya.

"But those who are of stinking conduct here—the prospect is,indeed, that they will enter eitherthe womb of a dog, or the wombof a swine, or the womb of anoutcast."

Active participation in devotional life, however, is meant for
all of humanity, and is not restricted only to those who follow vows and
religiously observe the nonsectarian principles of austerity, mercifulness,
truthfulness and cleanliness. According to Srila Prabhupada, this opportunity
for love and service is open to everyone:

"...if you want to be a family man—if you cannot dedicate
twenty-four hours daily—then earn money and use it to spread Krishna
Consciousness...if you cannot earn money, then use your intelligence. There is
so much intellectual work to do—publication, research, and so on. If you cannot
do that, then utilize your words to tell people about Krishna. So where is the
scarcity of opportunities? You can serve Krishna in any capacity, provided you
want to serve."

Elsewhere, Srila Prabhupada explains: "One who isn’t initiated
may chant Hare Krishna (and should certainly be encouraged to do so) and serve
in his own way, and gradually by doing so he may want to be initiated." (Letter
to Satsvarupa dasa 11/14/68)

According to the ISKCON public relations guide, Who Are
They?, congregational outreach is now reality. Mukunda Goswami introduces
the reader to the Hare Krishna movement in strictly congregational terms:

"You’ll probably be surprised to learn that you don’t have to
wear traditional robes or change your hairstyle or religion to be a part of the
Hare Krishna movement.

"You’ll discover that Krishna Consciousness is much more than
a religion. It’s a spiritual movement; a universal, time-tested process for
achieving inner happiness, satisfaction, and higher awareness. And you’ll meet
people from all walks of life who are applying their knowledge, skills, and
resources to bring about a better world, beginning with the all-important realm
of consciousness.

"The Krishna Consciousness movement is a transcendental
outreach program unparalleled anywhere in the world."

"With a worldwide congregational membership well over six
million, the Hare Krishna movement has a growing responsibility. We are
committed both to our rapidly expanding membership and to nonmembers in all
walks of life...Whatever you do, whatever your age, race, sex, or religious
affiliation, the Hare Krishna movement can offer you many benefits. If you do
nothing more than chant the Hare Krishna mantra, you’re already closer to
spiritual success."

"The beauty of Krishna Consciousness is that
you can take as much as you are ready for. Krishna Himself promises in the
Bhagavad-gita, ‘There is no loss or diminution in this endeavor, and even a
little advancement on this path protects one from the greatest type of fear.’"

Ravindra Svarupa dasa (Dr. William Deadwyler), recognized as
one of the leaders of reform in ISKCON, reflects upon Srila Prabhupada’s words
on page 31 of the November/December 1991 issue of Back to Godhead:

"In commenting on the twelfth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita,
Srila Prabhupada makes it really clear that the Hare Krishna movement is in
principle made up of three groups of people. Krishna says, ‘Surrender to Me.’ So
first are those who are spontaneously attracted to surrender to Krishna.

"Then Krishna says, ‘If you can’t do that, follow the
regulative principles of devotional service.’ And in the purport Srila
Prabhupada makes it clear what this means: rising early, taking a shower, going
to the morning program, and so on, under the supervision of the spiritual
master. So those who do this are in the second group.

"Then Krishna says, ‘If you can’t do that, then work for Me.’
And Srila Prabhupada says that this means that at least one should be
sympathetic to the propagation of Krishna Consciousness. Every organization
requires land, capital, labor, and organization, so you can contribute one of
these things. Those who do this are in the third group.

"These three groups make up the Hare Krishna movement. So there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the movement’s having
all kinds of people who aren’t following the strict regulative principles.

"Where we have a problem is with people who have at one time
or another taken formal vows to follow the principles of the second group and
then found themselves unable to keep them."

Srila Prabhupada stressed evangelization. He propagated the
chanting of the Lord’s holy names with an evangelical zeal, and astounded the
literary and academic communities by translating, writing commentary on, and
publishing over 70 volumes of scripture, as well as books on the classical Vedic
civilization. His books are now used as standard texts in universities around
the world. He introduced the traditional dress codes, cuisine, hygiene,
etiquette, weddings, festivals, music, dance and drama of the traditional Vedic
culture. He taught liturgies both in Sanskrit and Bengali.

Srila Prabhupada may be compared to other Vaishnava
acharyas (holy teachers and founders of institutions) such as Madhva or
Ramanuja. A guru, or living spiritual master, suffers for the sins of his
disciples, once they have taken formal vows to follow him. A guru is also
given the honor and worship Christians ascribe to Jesus Christ—he is
revered as though he were an incarnation of God.

A few days before Srila Prabhupada left the planet in 1977,
his godbrother Puri Maharaja said, "You have saved millions of people around the
world...you should be called maha-patita-pavana (the great savior of the
fallen)."